King pointed to the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans as potential landing spots Monday in his “Football Morning in America” column for NBC Sports. Still, King keeps circling back to New England, where Brady has spent his entire 20-year NFL career.

“Having said that, for now, I’ll go against the grain and say my gut feeling is he’ll settle on the Patriots,” King wrote. “It seems the most reasonable solution to the Brady free-agency dilemma.”

So, why exactly is King leaning toward Brady re-signing with the Patriots, even after waffling throughout his column and mentioning several reasons why the six-time Super Bowl champion might take his talents elsewhere?

Here’s what King wrote:

With all the qualifiers, you must wonder why I have picked the Patriots? It’s because it’s the smartest football move. And I think, in the end, Brady will make the decision mostly because of football, and what gives him the best chance to win another Super Bowl. Staying, with some offensive upgrades, gives him that. I’ve vacillated between Brady staying and going, and this dart-throw of him staying in New England is based on logic, not emotion. We all know Kraft wants that to happen. In a month, we’ll know if Brady and Belichick do.

Brady’s situation sure is complicated when you consider his unprecedented success, his age, his recent performance, the Patriots’ salary cap situation, the current state of New England’s offense and the ample interest he’ll almost certainly generate on the open market. For now, we’re left to speculate — the new league begins March 18 — as even the most decorated NFL insiders try to pinpoint what the future holds for the greatest quarterback in NFL history.

Thumbnail photo via David Kohl/USA TODAY Sports Images

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